Confrontation

Sesshoumaru switched off the television, dropping the remote into its basket on the side table and stared down at the woman who should have been his sister-in-law. Kagome didn't react to his audacious behavior beyond shooting a silent glare at him. Not that he cared; at least it was something beyond the morose moping that he'd been enduring the last few days – it was a tiny glimpse of the fiery girl he'd once known.

"Shower and change. We're going out."

Kagome said nothing; she merely put her feet on the coffee table, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance.

"No."

"No?"

"NO!"

Sesshoumaru had had enough and he let his anger flare.

"Do you think this is what Inuyasha would have wanted? For you to wallow in self-pity?"

"How dare you–"

"How dare I what, Kagome? You think I don't miss him as much as you do? He was your fiancé, but he was also my brother. We may not have always seen eye-to-eye on everything, but I still loved him and I have mourned him. But the time has come to move on… to live life again! He loved you for your light, your energy, your vitality. This," he waved a hand at her slovenly attire and lank hair, "is not the woman he knew."

Traitorous tears formed on her lashes and Sesshoumaru saw the hurt in her eyes before she looked away. He knew his words had cut deep, but she needed to hear the truth, no matter how hard. He hated being the one to make her face it, but he also knew he couldn't back down now, not if there was any hope of saving Kagome from herself.

"Either you get up and do it yourself or we do this the hard way. Your choice. Either way, you are leaving this apartment."

The look she shot him was mutinous, and still she refused to budge. In a swift movement, he had her slung over his broad shoulder marching toward the bedroom. Kagome's threats and yells rang in his ears, fists pounded fruitlessly on his back, but he ignored it all. Four months ago, standing at the edge of a fresh grave, Sesshoumaru had promised to take care of the young woman in his brother's stead. Up until this moment, he'd been sorely remiss in fulfilling that oath. He would not let her become another knot in the string of regrets he had where his brother was concerned.

Dropping Kagome unceremoniously onto the bed that had become hers, he ignored the "oof" that escaped as breath rushed from her lungs and Sesshoumaru turned toward the drawer he'd cleared for her things. Pulling out a fresh shirt, jeans and undergarments, he carried them back to where she was laying before hauling her back to her feet.

Sesshoumaru reached for the collar of Kagome's poodle-covered pajamas to unbutton them when she gripped his wrist, digging her nails into the sensitive skin there.

"I'll do it," she bit out between clenched teeth, snatching her clothes from his other hand.

"Be ready in ten minutes," he ordered as she stormed toward the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Sesshoumaru sat at his desk to quickly check his work email while he waited, his temper steadily rising with each passing minute he didn't hear the shower running. When Kagome's allotted ten minutes were up, he stalked back to the bathroom intent on storming in to see what she was doing only to come up against a locked door.

"Kagome, open this door!" he yelled, pounding with his fist.

"Go away!"

"You can't hide forever, Kagome."

"Watch me, you bastard! Just leave me the hell alone!"

Even with the muffling of the door, her screams were piercing. Sesshoumaru's hands fisted at his sides, frustration fueling a rage that pounded in time with his blood. Turning on his heel before he broke down the bathroom door, he grabbed his overcoat and headed out into the late autumn afternoon, slamming his front door behind him.

He needed to walk, to think, to get the anger out of his system before trying to face her again. He needed to come up with a better plan than just having her move in with him for a while. Simple companionship was not working. This latest confrontation proved that, but he was helpless to know what to do. Somehow, instead of being a friend to help her, his words had turned him into her enemy.

'Damn it!'

Kagome waited a few minutes after hearing the door slam to be absolutely sure Sesshoumaru was gone. Hearing nothing by silence, she cracked open the bathroom door enough to peak out before opening it fully and treading carefully toward the living room. She wouldn't put it past Sesshoumaru to pretend to leave just to lure her out, but Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she really was truly alone.

Plopping herself back on the couch, she reached for the remote and resumed the channel surfing that had been so rudely interrupted. Punching the remote angrily, she couldn't focus on any of the programs flipping across the screen. Hot, angry tears coursed down her cheeks as she thought about what Sesshoumaru had said.

"He's so… so…!" Silently, she continued to fume what her anger wouldn't allow her to articulate aloud.

'Inuyasha was right. He is an asshole!'

Her flipping paused on a nature documentary, watching as a killer whale hunted a baby seal. In her current state of mind, she could relate to the baby seal, feeling tiny and defenseless as the big, bad brother-in-law devoured her.

"I hate him," she whispered… and in that moment, watching as the seal pup's blood stained the ocean, feeling her own heart bleeding from Sesshoumaru's harsh words, she truly did.

There was a small part of her – that voice of reason that she tried so hard to ignore these days – that knew he was right. She could almost hear Inuyasha yelling at her in that endearingly profane way of his about what an idiot she was being. Kagome knew deep in her heart that she needed to move on, that wherever he was, that's what Inuyasha wanted as well. The problem was, she just didn't know how to do that, not without him. For eighteen years, so much of her life had centered around him. Now that he was gone, she felt cast adrift in a sea of uncertainty. She'd allowed herself to become numb to her emotions, deadened to life. It was so much easier than facing the reality of it all.

A quiet knock on the apartment door startled her out of her reverie causing her to grumble in annoyance. The last thing she wanted right now was company, not with the flood of emotions coursing through her.

Figuring it was probably just some door-to-door salesman, she chose to ignore the visitor in favor of more channel surfing, hoping to find something mind numbing enough to make her forget about her confrontation with Sesshoumaru. It was a difficult task, however, when whoever it was would not go away. By the fifth knock, Kagome had become seriously pissed. Dropping the remote roughly on the glass coffee table, she stalked towards the door, yelling as she went.

"Are you completely stupid? I obviously don't want to talk to you so why don't you just go—

Yanking open the door, Kagome was stopped short by the man standing on the other side.

"— away."

"Hi, Kags."

"Miroku…"

At a loss for words, Kagome stared at the man she hadn't seen since the accident all those months ago. In fact, she'd been intentionally avoiding him, despite Sango's numerous invitations to dinner. She wasn't ready to face him, this man who had survived when Inuyasha had not.

They stared at each other a few moments before Miroku broke the silence. "May I come in?"

Kagome stepped aside in silent invitation, noting, but pointedly ignoring, the heavy limp that was undoubtedly a souvenir from the crash. "Why are you here?" she asked, finding her voice again.

"Sango told me you'd moved in with Sesshoumaru," he stated, evading her question as he looked everywhere but at her.

"It's temporary, believe me. As soon as I can, I'm getting the hell out of here."

Turning, Miroku met her eyes, his own twinkling slightly. "Oh? Is he really that bad? I always thought that cold, emotionless act was just a cover—"

"What do you want, Miroku?" Kagome asked again, crossing her arms over her chest, ignoring that rationale voice that said she was being unjustly cruel.

The light twinkle in Miroku's violet eyes was replaced with sadness. "Kagome, I'm sorry… so very sorry." He stepped forward, enfolding her in his arms. She remained still, arms at her sides. She could hear the tears in his voice, but she didn't care.

"I know you probably blame me – I certainly blame myself – but I would have given my life for his if it had been in my power. You must know that."

And she did, but Kagome was beyond reasoning. First Sesshoumaru, and now this. It was all too much to take in such a short time and something inside her finally cracked. The wounds Sesshoumaru had opened were ripped wider by this unexpected visit and all the bitterness that Kagome had let fester in her heart towards her friend spilled out.

"You're 'sorry,' Miroku? Sorry? " Her voice rose as she pushed away as hard as she could, causing him to stumble slightly. "Did you come here looking for absolution? For forgiveness?" The laugh that escaped Kagome was bitter and cruel.

"It was a mistake for you to come here, Houshi," she continued, mocking the nickname Inuyasha has given his friend. "I will not forgive the man who killed my fiancée. Leave."

"Kagome, please…"

"LEAVE!" she screamed.

Head hanging, Miroku limped toward the exit, pausing in the doorway to look back at the woman who was like a sister to him. Her eyes were clenched shut against the tears that escaped and he could see the trembling of her hand where it gripped the door handle white-knuckled.

"I hope that one day you will find it in your heart to forgive me, Kagome," he whispered before walking toward the elevator. His heart broke when he heard her sobs echo down the hallway, but he did not turn back, keeping his own tears in check until he reached his car.

BAM!

The door was slammed shut with a force that made the wood rattle in its hinges for the second time that day. Turning back into the apartment, Kagome's eyes fell on the small, black cabinet residing on the far side of the living room.

'I can't take any more of this!'

Just wanting to return to the peaceful nothingness of denial, she walked over to the cabinet and pulled out the bottle of Sesshoumaru's best seventy-year-old scotch.

"It's certainly start," she muttered pulling the cork and downing the amber liquid, not even bothering with a glass. She barely had time to wince as it burned its way down before she partook again.

These returning emotions were too much to bear – the reawakened memories her nemesis – and her escape could not come quickly enough.

A/N: Written for the LiveJournal Community, dokuga_contest, and their oneshot prompt, Nemesis, this chapter clocks in at 1886 words. Originally posted August 26, 2010.